The primary source of complex carbohydrates for populations of the earth is from grains. World coarse grain consumption is predicted to increase by 1.5% annually during the next 10 years to reach 980.5 million tons, according to the latest demand forecast issued by the U.S. Feed Grains Council on Feb. 4, 1997. While there are other important starchy carbohydrate sources, such as potatoes, cassava, and sweet potatoes, grains are pre-eminent in providing starchy carbohydrate energy for the world's population. One reason is that grains are harvested in a naturally dry state and hence are relatively non-perishable. By contrast, potatoes, cassava, and sweet potatoes, for example, are harvested at an elevated moisture content and because of this they have a shorter storage life in their harvested state.
Wheat, rice and corn are produced in the largest quantities compared to all other grains worldwide. Barley, rye, oats, triticale, millet, etc. are produced in substantial but lesser quantities. Of all of the grains grown for human consumption, only whole grain rice is routinely cooked by the consumer due to whole grain rice's relatively short cooking time of 15 to 20 minutes compared to the much longer cooking times for other whole cereal grains. Subsequently, cereal grains are ground into flours for consumption in the form of baked goods, soups, porridge, pastas, etc.
Bulgur is a boiled wheat product that is traditionally consumed in the Middle East. Bulgur is produced by boiling wheat for a minimum of 45 to 60 minutes. The boiled wheat is then dried for storage. The consumer rehydrates bulgur by boiling the product for 15 minutes and then steaming the product for an additional 15 minutes.
There are substantial food shortages throughout the world, particularly in India and the Far East. An obvious remedy for this shortage would be to export wheat from countries having a surplus to the areas where a shortage exists. However, these food-deficient areas also have deficiencies in fuels. Consequently, wheat and other grains which must be cooked for long periods of time to bring them to an edible state cannot be used satisfactorily since an inordinate amount of fuel must be consumed to prepare them.
There have been various efforts to remedy the long-term cooking requirements of raw grains, including pre-cooking the grains. Generally, these precooking procedures involve heating the wheat in boiling water or in steam under atmospheric or superatmospheric pressure. However, there are various problems involved with these techniques. For instance, it is difficult to uniformly cook grains in this manner and, thus, some of the treated grains retain hard, uncooked centers. Also, the treatments can lead to rupturing of the grains or cause the individual grains to become mushy.
One method for decreasing the cooking time for bulgur is to crack the wheat, then parboil and dry it. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 2,930,697 issued to Miller relates to a method of processing wheat wherein the bran coat of the wheat is compressed to crack it open and expose the starch mass of the grain. However, considerable nutrients are lost from the grain during the cracking and cooking process.
Another method for shortening the cooking time of grains is to chemically treat the grains. One such method is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,190,754 issued to Mathews wherein wheat is treated with alkaline agents, such as sodium hydroxide (lye) and ammonia, then further treated with a dilute acidic agent and dried. However, these chemicals are caustic to work with and, since the chemicals penetrate the grain, can give the grain an undesirable flavor or, in some instances, may even be harmful to the consumer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,464,647 issued to Messick describes a method of manufacturing a quick cooking barley product. Even after this processing, however, the Messick barley product still requires at least five minutes to rehydrate the product, followed by a standing time of at least five minutes. Further, Messick does not contemplate the processing of other grains other than barley, or a mixture of grains.
There is therefore a need in the art for a method of processing grains to decrease their cooking time while retaining the nutrients and flavor of the grain. There is also a need in the art for a method of processing multiple whole grains.
The present invention has as its primary object the production of whole grain, quick cooking blends which may be rehydrated and/or cooked in a few minutes, providing a whole grain food which may be consumed as-is, or may be incorporated into other food products when whole grain identity is desired.
A further object of the present invention is the production of a grain product which retains a majority of its original nutrients.
A further object of the present invention is the production of a grain product which utilizes only water, grain and heat as its inputs, thereby eliminating the introduction of potentially harmful chemicals or chemical reactions within the product.
A further object of the present invention is the production of a grain product which has been cooked and frozen and may be consumed in its hydrated state after thawing and/or heating.
A further object of the present invention is the production of a grain product which has been cooked and dried that may be consumed in its dry state as a snack or a dry cereal.
A further object of the present invention is the production of a cooked and dried grain product which may be cut, milled, or ground into meal, flakes, granules, or powder for use in other products.
A further object of the present invention is the production of a grain product which is uniform in consistency.
Yet a further object of the present invention is the production of grain products comprised of compressed multiple whole grains which provide superior nutritional and functional properties.
These and other objects of the present invention will become clear from the following detailed description of the invention.